I remain hopeful, although my hope is “teetering” as I write, that the Obama administration will realign itself with the actual positions taken – or at least something more representative of them – during the campaign of 2008.  I believe I’m far from the only person who’s feeling a bit betrayed by the “centrist” to “right” leaning actions of Barack Obama since taking office.  Some of his actions, and the actions of his surrogates – that can only be explained from the perspective that Obama’s providing the direction – are VERY disconcerting.  I concluded my last posting by posing the question as to whether or not I’m the only one out there wondering why Eric Holder – and, by extension, Barack Obama – chose to ignore the transgressions of Bush/Cheney and other prominent republicans while then “going after” agressively Julian Assange of “Wiki Leaks.com” for disclosing information that is TRUTHFUL about the diplomatic history of the United States.

It appears that America and her allies are going after Assange with “both barrels.”  Now, I’m not suggesting that the man didn’t commit a crime in Sweden or Switzerland or wherever it’s alleged, but the coincidence of the charges and then the unified effort of the U.S. and her allies to block Assange’s site is curious at best from my perspective.  (Anybody else out in cyberspace remember Daniel Ellsburg?) I’ve only seen parts of what was published, but everything so far only confirmed information I had found elsewhere.  Before I get to my main point tonight, I believe it’s time for the American public to stop deluding themselves about their government.  And, this episode simply confirms the INTENSITY of the United States government to prevent its citizens from knowing the TRUTH about what they’ve been up to.  This is not just for the years of Bush/Cheney – this is for the past 40 – 50 years.  Again, this information is “out there” – you just have to look a bit harder to find it – the Wiki Leaks website is apparently attempting to make things easier for anyone who has come to the conclusion they want to educate themselves about the American government – and it’s relations with other nations around the world.

As I’ve been sharing the past few posts, I just finished “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet and I’m almost finished with “Washington Rules” by Andrew Bacevich plus I’ve read “Blackwater” by Jeremy Skahill and “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein – just to name of few of the books which are available for anyone who wants to get a better idea of what America’s leaders have been doing since WW II.  It is sobering to say the least.  Somehow, I had convinced myself (still pretty naive at 63+ years old) that then Senator Obama would be someone willing to take on the “Washington Rules” – my definition, not Bacevich’s – and, I’ve continually been “brought down to earth” almost since the day Obama was sworn into office.  Yes, Obama has pushed for some progressive legislation, but he has continually failed to make the changes to the political “climate” and “structure” in Washington that I had expected and which he could have done despite all the republican filibusters.  He is now on the verge of becoming a president who is considered a major failure – despite people like Randi Rhodes continually attempting to convince people of ALL the “wonderful” things he’s done.  I’m more concerned with what he’s NOT done along with his actual support of the “Washington Rules” in too many instances which will come back to haunt democrats (and the American public) potentially in the years to come.

I feel like I’ve been witnessing politicians seeking short term gain at the expense of long term stability for as long as I can remember.  Jimmy Carter made proposals which had a vision to the future and he’s still being ridiculed for that – so, maybe that is why we don’t see forward thinking from our “leaders.”  But, it seems to me that all they would have to do is take a good hard look at America’s circumstances to see that virtually ALL phases of our government are “out of whack.”  So, why then would we continue to depend on the same group of people for solutions when they’ve proven incapable of anything more than protecting their own self interests?  I use the “Wiki Leaks” example because I believe it gives a clear view of how skewed our government has become. 

One of the “promises” Obama made which resonated with me was the “promise” of transparency.  I’m not even sure if the president himself understands at this point how “betrayed” the public feels about that one.  (This is the kind of issue that people like Rhodes – and presumably the president’s supporters inside the White House – just don’t “get”)  The secret negotiations and “backroom deals” during the health care debate really undercut the president’s position on transparency – not to mention his weak negotiating skills which led to the premature abandonment of the “public option.”   We’re hearing the same kind of paranoia about “leaks” we heard during the Bush years and now this “panic” over exposed documents which do nothing more than tell the truth about diplomatic relations among nations the US is affiliated with.  And, don’t get me wrong here – because, I don’t know even close to the full extent of these disclosures – but when I read the other day how the administration is worried about people who could be put in danger or how the United States’ “prestige” in the world was being damaged and how bad that is – I couldn’t help but think about the issues where Obama and Holder chose to ignore issues that, in my view, suprecede the Wiki Leaks exponentially.  This it true American Hypocrisy at its best.

I’ve been over this many times on this site, but “here we go again.”  If America’s prestige around the world and the safety of those representing our interests is so important, then why was there NO INVESTIGATIONS and PROSECUTIONS where warranted regarding Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Gonzales/Rove/Addington/Yoo/Bybee/Feith and the others involved in the criminal activity during the eight long years of the George W Bush administration?  More recently, why was Eric Cantor allowed to VIOLATE the Logan Act – committing what to me was an act of TREASON – by undercutting Obama’s adminstration in any future negotiations with Israel – a CLEAR FELONY?  I couldn’t understand any of that at the time – and I do feel BETRAYED by Barack Obama in all of this and I feel “we the people” have been terribly WEAKENED by Obama’s apparently thoughtless (or gutless?) decision on these matters – but, then to take such an interest in Assange.  Again, how hypocritical will we get?  I’m not saying Assange shouldn’t be prosecuted, I’m just wondering what this does to our system of justice to set an example that prosecuting criminal behavior through subjective decisionmaking as to who commits the crime is done at the whim of the White House.  Think about that.  To me, the LONG TERM effect of that kind of precedent will far outweigh the effect of many of the BLUNDEROUS decisions of George W Bush and Dick Cheney.  And Barack Obama’s timid response to the alleged crimes of the Bush/Cheney regime is what re-energized the republicans in the first place.  How bad was that response?  I started predicting over two years ago that the republicans will be, thanks to GW’s pardon, considering the nomination of another Bush (Jeb) in 2012 – and, the way Obama’s going about his job, the public may be willing to accept that – UGHHH!

What should have happened?  Well, let’s for the sake of brevity accept that stopping Assange is appropriate (although, I’m in favor of the American people knowing what their government is doing and I’m in no way taking a position on that) – there is no doubt in my mind that Obama and Holder essentially PARDONING George W Bush, Dick Cheney, and all the others who participated in criminal behavior – ARROGANTLY – while Bush/Cheney “reigned” did all the damage and then some that Obama, Holder, Clinton, and the others in Obama’s adminstration seem to want to “pin” on the “Wiki Leaks” people.  I don’t see how anyone could claim that WikiLeaks has damaged the prestige of the United States more than Bush/Cheney circa 2001-2008.  It’s not just that our president and vice president at the time ADMITTED on national TV that they authorized TORTURE (and, they’ve since repeated their “confessions” several times and BOTH of them said they’d do it again!  Therefore, do you really think that if a republican wins the White House in 2012 that America will not torture – simply because Barack Obama said we won’t TORTURE anymore?  PLLLEEEAAAASE!) it’s that there’s a WHOLE BUNCH more!!!

I’ll get off the TORTURE part of my rant after reminding you that (don’t believe me, read “The Ballad of Abu Ghraib”) so-called “enemy combatants” – not convicted of anything – were MURDERED at Abu Ghraib and at GITMO.  There is documented evidence to support murders at each facility and that’s not to mention what went on at all the “rendition” “outlets” the U.S. had around the world – where the TORTURING could be done by our “allies.”  Then there’s the multiple reports of “enemy combatants” herded into enclosed vans in Afganistan – with the U.S. paying a “ransom” for the “intelligence” used to justify the capture – and carting the prisoners to various “rendition” sites in vehicles with no air vents while the temperature outside was in the triple digits – leaving scores of these “enemy combatants” DEAD ON ARRIVAL from suffocation.  None of this deplorable stuff managed to find the front pages of our “liberal media” because, evidently the American government is still trying to brainwash her public into believing we have high moral standards when it comes to human rights!

Of course, the two “occupations” which are still raging on after almost 10 years for Afganistan and 8 years for Iraq have managed to work their way to the back pages of our “liberal media” because evidently two DISASTROUS military blunders which are bankrupting our nation and STILL leading to death and severe mental and physical damage to our troops – while OBVIOUSLY putting our nation at risk with an OVER BURDENED military – don’t seem to be of much interest to Obama/Holder either.  That is – there’s no interest in the DISHONEST manner in which BOTH military adventures were prosecuted and the fraud committed by the “contractors” and their “no bid” contracts.  President Obama doesn’t like anyone to compare either occupation to Viet Nam – I say you can make a strong case that BOTH of them are similar to Viet Nam – maybe even worse.  Has this not damaged our prestige FAR greater than anything WikiLeaks might do?  Are Obama and Holder trying to ensure the American public don’t find out the TRUTH about these two FIASCOS?  It seems to me that the actions of Obama and Holder in this matter are hurting American prestige more than WikiLeaks ever could as well.

Then the suggestion was made that the information divulged by WikiLeaks created danger for certain Americans (and associates) doing foreign duty.  Well, let me remind you that Dick Cheney (more than likely with the full knowledge – and possibly consent of GW) outed a covert CIA agent who was, ironically, charged (in her job) with gaining secret information on the capability of the Iranians to build a nuclear weapon.  Her husband had written an Op-Ed for the New York Times exposing the Bush/Cheney LIE that Saddam Hussein had obtained 500 tons of yellow cake uranium from Niger in Africa – the claim which led to the famous statement by GW Bush in the State of the Union address, “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” followed by Condoleeza Rice saying, “The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly Saddam can acquire nuclear weapons.  But we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud” – leading the American public to infer that Iraq was a nuclear threat to the United States.  Valerie Plame Wilson’s husband Joe, a former ambassador to Niger (and former republican), traveled to Niger and proved the document Bush/Cheney used to support their claim was a forgery.  In response to Wilson’s “outing” their LIE Cheney and company decided to “out” Plame (Wilson) – who had a network of associates set up around the world for the purpose of gathering information about Iran’s nuclear program.  We have no idea how many CIA operatives were put in danger from Plame (Wilson) becoming a public figure but, I think you can see that Obama/Holder chose to “look the other way” for this transgression and are NOW agressively pursuing Assange.  I really do find that curious.

There’s more!  The Bush administration routinely REFUSED to answer subpoenas issued by Congress, they blocked court proceedings through abuse of the “States Secrets privilege,” they TOTALLY politicized the Justice Department – going so far as to require a loyalty oath to the republican party for new hires (that’s clearly illegal – not to mention the long term damage to the nation having partisan U.S. attorneys), and they targeted political “foes” with fabricated prosecutions.  Karl Rove even managed to prevent a political opponent in Alabama, Don Siegelman, from running for re-election as governor by having political cronies prosecute him on trumped up charges where he actually was jailed (that is a whole story on its own merits – google seigelman if you’re interested).  This country will not stand if the Justice Department loses credibility with the public (which is why I’m so disappointed in Holder).  There should have been investigations of Rove, Alberto Gonzales (do you remember him LYING profusely before Congress with nary a whimper once Holder took over the department – despite Gonzales committing unquestioned PERJURY)

How about all the illegal warrantless wiretapping?  Now we’re talking about felonius violations of Americans’ constitutional rights.  The FISA law was put into place after the actions of the last OVERTLY criminal republican administration of Richard Nixon.  It took a lot of work to get that law in place and it was a comforting thought that my government couldn’t “eavesdrop” on the conversations of her citizens without “probable cause” and a warrant.  George W Bush/Dick Cheney very ARROGANTLY changed all that – and, by their INACTIONS once in office Barack Obama and Eric Holder essentially endorsed the lawbreaking.  In fact, my first “red flag” with Obama was when he voted for the Telecoms in the FISA legislation during the campaign – after he had already defeated Hillary Clinton, so it was too late for people like me to change our votes – despite his speeches which I felt were contrary to that vote.  I actually wrote an extended letter to him at the time and got a reponse that “guaranteed” he would “fix” the legislation once in office.  I’m honestly not convinced to this day that Obama’s NSA is not doing the same “data mining” Bush’s was – knowingly and condoning it.

We have private armies in various places around the world randomly killing civilians while on America’s payroll, 29 miners in West Virginia and 11 Oil Rig workers in the Gulf of Mexico are dead due to lax oversight from federal agencies during the Bush/Cheney reign – and, we’re going after Assange for exposing our government for what it apparently is.  If you put all of this together, I hope you can agree that the Obama administration needs to get its head on straight.  This continual lack of gumption in regard to leadership and the chasm between republicans and democrats is leading America into an abiss.  Whether those of us on the left like it or not, we are depending on Barack Obama to lead the fight against the corporate takeover of our government backed by the republican party.  In my mind, Obama and Holder should be prosecuting Bush/Cheney et al instead of Julian Assange.  It was the Bush administration which damaged the prestige of America and put many lives at risk.  Isn’t it about time we, as Americans, stopped allowing our government to find scapegoats for the TRUTH about their actions?